Confessions Ch3
by CandyStars121
Summary: Charlie, Connor & Bass are all Locked in a cage awaiting a fight to the death for one of them. Connor starts questioning Bass's feelings for Charlie and Charlie's feeling for Bass. Pls check my other story listings for prior chapters, will add this ch there when I can get to a computer.


A/N: My sincerest apologies for taking so damn long to update. I've been dealing with a major crapstorm with my family, and lost my writing mojo for a while there...fortunately it seems to be back. I can't promise super frequent updates because I'm without internet at home until we get moved into our new place, but I'll be doing my best to get at least 1 chapter per week posted until it's complete.

Charlie was clearly taken by surprise at his words and he released her, allowing her to resume her place on the ground where he found her when he woke up. She takes a long look at him before sighing and closing her eyes while her head relaxes back against the cage wall. Looking at her, he was once again drawn to how beautiful she was. And the fact that she didn't even try made her even more so.

He couldn't believe that this girl in front of him would have ever seen him killing her as an option no matter what situation they were in. There was something in her eyes though, before she had said the words. He couldn't be sure, but it was as if she was completely okay with it. Like she had accepted her fate. It's something he just couldn't mesh with the Charlotte he had come to know and love. That Charlotte was a fighter and would never give in that easily. Especially knowing that it would be him to do it, she should have been ready to rip someone's head off.

It really bothered him that she would think like that, and he wasn't sure how she could have spent so much time around him and not seen how deeply he cared about her.

But maybe this would be exactly what they needed. They had a day and a half of waiting before the death match. And while he knew that he was going to have to make sure she could take him out without making it look like he let her win, that could wait until tomorrow. For the rest of today and tonight, maybe the could finally have a talk that was long overdue and at the end of it all, Charlie would have what she always wanted and needed. Closure and revenge for everything he had taken away from her. He was happy at the thought of finally being able to give that to her. Truth be told, if he had to die at the hands of someone else, there wasn't anyone he'd rather have do it. It helped him to know that her face would be the last thing he saw. He was hoping for now though that he could get her to open up to him. Chances were slim but he knew he had to try anyway. Their talk would have to wait though, as by the time he made his way over to Charlie, she had dozed off, clearly exhausted from having stayed up keeping watch over him while he was knocked out. He made note to himself to thank her for it later.

He wasn't lacking for company though as not more than a few minutes after she had fallen asleep one of Gould's minions came up to the cage, dragging a rather irritated looking Connor in cuffs behind him. If it weren't for the fact that this could very well be the last chance he would get to speak to his son, he would have laughed at Connor's predicament.

Hell, if he really thought about it, he wanted to laugh at the whole damn thing. It was like one of those really weird twisted dreams...the ones you know aren't real, but can't seem to make yourself wake up from. Because really, none of it made any sense. If Gould was going to whore someone out, it seemed like the more likely option would be Charlie, and he would have to fight Connor. Not that he'd ever want that for her, and this situation was the better of the two options, but there was still something nagging at him telling him that this little plan of Gould's was more than just having a Matheson fight a Monroe. He just wasn't seeing it yet, but he was sure as hell going to figure out what it was.

Once Connor's cuffs had been removed, and he was shoved roughly into the cage, a tray containing three rock hard rolls and some dried meat were tossed in behind him. Bass walked up him, gripping him on the shoulder "you okay?"

"Yeah Dad, I'm fucking great, just love being sold around like I'm a two bit floozy. Tell me again why I left Mexico?"

He glared at his son "you know why, Connor."

"Oh, right, right...the Republic. We're supposed to be getting the republic back. I'm guessing this wasn't part of the plan then?"

"Don't be a smart ass, you know it wasn't." Bass grabbed the tray of food off the ground, and walked to the opposite side of the cage where Charlie was sleeping, motioning for Connor to follow. Once they were sitting and picking at the meat that had been provided to them, Connor pointed over at Charlie.

"What the hell's up with her?"

"What do you mean? She stayed up all night keeping an eye on me until I woke up from being knocked out...she's tired." Connor tore off a piece of his roll and chucked it at her and Bass whacked him upside the head with the back of his hand "Hey, leave her the hell alone."

Connor turned and stared at him, narrowing his eyes "why do you care? Better yet, what the hell is going on with both of you?"

Bass rolled his eyes, shaking his head as he popped another bite in his mouth. "I don't know what you're talking about"

Connor laughed before responding. "So I guess she didn't tell you what happened last night. How I ended up being an expensive play toy and she ended up in here with you."

"Yeah, she said that we were all put in here and that Gould came and got you out, why?"

"Oh, I see, so she edited it. Somehow that doesn't surprise me."

"Then what's the real story?" He was curious now, it wasn't like Charlie to not be completely forthcoming about things, in fact, sometimes she was a little too honest. It was one of the things he liked most about her. At his age, he'd had enough of bullshit and he didn't have to worry about getting that from her.

"Well, you and I got caught, they knocked you out and brought us in here. Maybe an hour later, they pulled up with her shackled to wagon and tossed her in here too...talking about getting things ready and getting her cleaned up and something decent to wear because no one would want to pay for her looking like that" he nodded his head toward Charlie.

"She had been hovering over you since she got in here, checking where they hit you or whatever, kept saying something about head injuries being bad. When they came back in to get her she wouldn't let them move her. Guess she had a knife hidden in her boot or God knows where but she pulled it on them and said she wasn't leaving you and that they'd have to kill her first. They managed to get it away from her, but not before she managed to stab one of Gould's guys in the leg. Then one of them got the crazy idea that if they grabbed me and threatened to take me that she'd comply..." he trailed off laughing "yeah, not even that worked, she still wasn't budging"

Bass didn't respond to anything he was saying. He was completely perplexed by it all. Charlotte, putting herself on the line for him? It would have been a lot easier for her to escape if she wasn't locked in the cage. She had a chance to get out and run back to Miles and her mom and she didn't. Yep, this was definitely like a freaky dream. He kept his eyes trained on the girl across from them, and the slow, steady rise and fall of her chest.

Connor wasn't letting it go at his explanation, and Bass could tell that he was irritated that Charlie had essentially chosen him over Connor. He grabbed the tray of food out of Bass' lap before continuing. "You know, it doesn't make any sense. For someone who claims to hate you, she as hell was awfully concerned about you last night. Kinda makes me wonder why she was so determined to screw me while you were off making the deal for those mercenaries when she obviously doesn't give a shit about me."

He wondered that himself, even when he caught them together he was more surprised than anything since she had shown little more than annoyance at Connor's presence since they had brought him back from Mexico. And now with this new information about last night, he was even more curious about what was going on in her head.

Bass refused to play into whatever argument Connor was trying to stir up and when he finally got the hint that he wasn't going to get it he seemed to abandon it for more important matters.

"So, what's your plan? I know Gould's going to have you two fight...she should be easy enough to take out. She's good, but she's not that good" Connor chuckled as he nudged him in the arm with his elbow.

"You do realize it's a fight to the death, right?" Bass asked, thinking that Connor must not know it was if he was suggesting taking down Charlie.

"Yeah, and the one that wins walks out of here. Which means you have to take her out" he shrugged.

At this point, Bass was really starting to get concerned with where Connor's head was at. He knew that the sole reason for his returning with them was to get the Republic back, but at the expense of Charlie's life, it almost scared him to think that he was looking at a mirror image of himself from not all that long ago. Back when he was General Monroe, he would have thought nothing of taking her or anyone else out if it meant winning and getting what he wanted. Now though, things for him had changed. He saw what that life brought him. And while, bringing the Republic back was part of the plan, it wasn't meant as a way to get back to being that person. He truly wanted this time to be different, and had imagined Connor, Miles and Charlie all at the finish line when they did it. They'd take out the patriots and put in place a better system than they had even come up with the first time around...with their whole little rag-tag family together keeping each other in line.

"Connor...I'm not getting out of this alive."

Immediately, Connor opened his mouth to object, but Bass held his hand up, silencing him before he continued.

"I know you want the Republic. And you can still have that. Miles is still out there fighting these patriot sons of bitches, and Charlie won't give up either. When they're finally taken down, some form of government will have to take its place, and that's where the Republic comes in. The three of you can rebuild it together. Make it what it was supposed to be the first time around. But I want you to remember one thing, if you remember nothing else I've told you...the Republic isn't everything. I've clawed and killed my way to the front of the pack, and when I got there it didn't mean a damn thing, because I was alone." He turned to look at Connor in the eyes, and he could feel the tears welling up in his own but tried hard to keep them from escaping. He needed him to take him seriously.

"I don't want that for you. Find yourself a girl...not Charlie. Have kids, don't be alone. A family will hold you together...will keep you from becoming the monster I was. Miles, and Charlie...hell even Rachel as crazy as she is, is part of that family. You protect them above everything else. Can you do that for me?"

Connor looked back at him, tears in his own eyes, as he nodded. "Yeah, I can do that."


End file.
